By Ashley Ching
I have always thought of myself as Asian and only Asian. After all, my last name is Ching.
My basic assumption came into question when I came across the “Inspire Learning” scholarship organized by the Solano Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“This looks really interesting,” I shared with my friend. “I just wish I were eligible to participate.” “Well, it’s not like you’re a real Asian,” he joked. “You’re Filipino. Couldn’t that count as Hispanic?”
Whoa. Me — Hispanic?
The notion didn’t seem out of the question. Watching the Disney movie, Coco, its portrayal of Hispanic culture perfectly mirrored my own Filipino culture in three key ways — food, religion, and language.